Means for propelling vehicles by secondary batteries



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. W. GRISOOM. MEANS FOR PROPELLING VEHICLES BY SECONDARY BATTERIES.

No. 408,232. Patented Aug. 6', 1889.

(No Model.) 2 sheets sheen 2.

W. W. GRISOOM. MEANS FOR PBOPELLING VEHICLES BY SECONDARY BATTERIES.

No. 4081232, Patented Aug. 6, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM WV. GRISOOM, OF HAVERFORD COLLEGE, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRODYNAMIC COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MEANS FOR PROPELLING VEHICLES BY SECONDARY BATTERIES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,232, dated August6, 1889. Application filed April 12, 1889. Serial No. 306,922. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.- vehicle. By this means a considerable por-50 Be it known that I, WILLIAM W'. GRISOOM, tion of the weight of thesecond vehicle is cara citizen of the United States, and a resident riedby or supported by the first vehicle, upon of Haverford College, in thecounty of Montwhich the motors are located. This addition gomery andState of Pennsylvania, have inof weight to the first vehicle, it will bereadvented certain new and useful Improvements ily understood, increasesthe friction between 5 5 in the Means for Propelling Vehicles by Sectherotating wheels and the track. ondary Batteries, of which the followingis a The great advantage due to the use of this specification.combination of apparatus arises from the fact My invention is animprovement in the that the weight of the motors and batteries is meansfor propelling vehicles by secondary distributed over a greater numberof points batteries. of support than is the case where both 1110- Theinvention comprises the combination tors and batteries are placed uponone vehiof a wheeled vehicle-such as an ordinary cle, and when itbecomes necessary to re- 1 5 street-railwaycaruponwhich are located onecharge the batteries it will be unnecessary to or more motorsmechanically connected with change their location upon the vehicle upona wheel or axle thereof. A second wheeled which they are transported, aduplicate vehivehicle is coupled with the first vehicle, and cle with aduplicate series of cells being alupon the floor of this second vehicleare placed ways kept at hand ready to be substituted by so a series ofparallel rows of secondary bata very simple and expeditious movement,

teries. Additional rows of batteries are superwhich consists in breakingthe electrical and posed upon the first series until sufiicientmechanical connection with one vehicle and electric power is provided. Iprefer to take restoring such electrical and mechanical cona vehiclehaving a floor-space about three feet nection with the substitutedvehicle. A vast 2 5 by four feet and locate upon the floor three amountof time and labor is thus saved, and

rows of cells, each of which is composed of the storage system may bethus applied to twelve cells. By superposin g three other rows any car,whether such a car is adapted to what upon each of the first series ofthree rows I is called the direct system of electric prohave four seriesof cells and thirty-six cells pulsion or to the ordinary horse-tractionve- 0 in each series, making one hundred and fortyhicle. In placing thebatteries in position four in all. This vehicle is mechanically conuponthe second vehicle I prefer to arrange 8o nected with the first-namedvehicle and is them upon the floor entirely inside the plane movedthereby. An electric circuit unites in which the wheels rotate. themotor or motors on the first vehicle wit-l1 The accompanying drawingsillustrate my 3 5 the batteries upon the second vehicle, and ainvention.

switch or circuit-changer, also located upon Figure 1 shows therailway-car having elec- 8 5 the first vehicle, serves to change theconnectric motors thereon and a second Wheeled tion of the motors withrespect to the circuit, vehicle connected thereto carrying the batandalso the batteries with respect to said cirteries. Fig. 2 is a plan viewshowing the su-' 4o cuit. I prefer to use a flexible connection forperposed rows of batteries located on the floor completingt-heconnection between the first inside the plane of the wheels. Fig. 3 is aand second vehicles. For the purpose of indiagrammatic view of thecircuits, motors, and

creasing the traction or tractive power of the switching apparatus.

first vehicle, I provide the second vehicle with In Fig. 1, O is anordinary street-car having one pair of wheels only. These are locatedlongitudinally-arranged seats for passengers between the center and therear end, the 013- S and entrances for passengers from both 5 ject beingto give to this second vehicle a ends of the car. 7 The running-gearconsists of tendency to rest upon and be supported wheels w w, locatedupon suitably-arranged through its connection with the first-namedaxles. There are two electric motors 'm m supported under the floor ofthe car. These motors are mechanically connected with the wheels to w,respectively, by suitable gearing The car is equipped with the usualfriction-brakes b I), located on opposite ends. There is also suitableswitching apparatus 3 on each end of the car, equipped with a suitablehandle to manipulate it easily. The details of this switching apparatusare more fully shown in Fig. 3, to which reference will be made.

V is a second wheeled vehicle having two wheels as, united by a suitableaxle. Its floor h is a plane surface and is surrounded by a wall orguard e. A suitable friction-brake Z) is applied in a well-known manner.On the floor of this second vehicle, entirely inside the plane of thewheels, is a series of battery-cells, preferably arranged in trays orlong boxes a a a (1 having suitable covers. Twelve cells is found aconvenient number for each box or tray. Three of these boxes are placedside by side on the floor h, and upon each of these are superposed threeother similar boxes a a. a making a superposed series of four tiers,three boxes in each-tier, the number of cells aggregating one hundredand forty-four.

The vehicle V is linked or mechanically connected to the car 0 by aconnection 02, and the motors on the car 0 are connected with thebatteries on -vehicle V by an electrical circuit through the medium of aflexible connection f, electrically uniting car C and vehicle V.

The connection of the circuit with respect to the motors m m, thebatteries a a and the switching apparatus R and s is shown in Fig. 3.The switch 8 consists of a series of fixed contact points connected tothe different points in the series of cells. The extreme terminals 19are connected to the opposite ends of the entire series of cells,respectively, by wires at and 7. The entire series of one hundred andforty-four cells are in two equal divisions, and the divided terminalsare connected to adjacent fixed terminals 19' by wires 5 and 6. The twocentral fixed terminals are connected to opposite ends of themotor-circuit S 9. The cylindrical rotating surface of the switch .9 isshown produced and bears three rows of contacts 0 c 0 When the row ofcontacts 0 is in contact with the terminals p, the motors are connectedwith the entire number of cells in series. Then the row of contacts 0 isin contact with terminals 29, the motors are connected with one-half theentire number of cells in series. When the row of contacts 0 is incontact with terminals 19, the motors are connected with two parallelseries of batteries, each series being one-half the entire series.

The motors are series-wound, and the armature-coils are connected to twomovable contacts of a reversing-switch R by wires 100 and 101. Fixedcontacts, forming part of switch R, are connected to opposite ends ofthe divided circuit 8 9. By operating switch R the current flowing incircuit 8 9 has its direction reversed through that portion of thecar-circuit 100 .and 101 containing the armaturecoils of the motors,whereby the direction of movement of the motors is reversed at the willof the operator, the polarity of the field and armature coils withrespect to each other being thus reversed. Referring to the vehicle V,it will be seen that the wheels 00 are 10-v cated at one-side of acentral point of the vehicle. This has a tendency to cause the vehicleto tip down at the connecting end, and consequently when connection ismade at n a considerable portion of the weight borne by vehicle V willbe placed upon and borne by the car 0. This will add to the tractivepower of the Vehicle carrying the motors, and thus enable it to draw agreater weight. At the same time the entire weight has six points ofsupport instead of four, as has heretofore been the case in carspropelled by secondary batteries.

The operation of this apparatus is evident from the foregoingdescription. The battery located 011 the vehicle V is charged by adynamo at the station. The vehicle V is then moved out and attached tothe car. During its trip a second similar vehicle bearing a similarseries of cells has such cells charged, and upon the return of the firstvehicle V with discharged cells the second is substituted for it withouthandling the batteries or producing any change except the breaking ofthe electrical and mechanical connection with one vehicle V and makingsuch connection with the substituted Vehicle. Time and labor are saved,the expense of operation is decreased, the useful life of the battery isprolonged by avoiding the jars incident to handling, and the delay atthe terminal heretofore incident to the necessary change is avoided.

I do not herein claim the combination of a wheeled vehicle having seatsfor passengers, one or more electric motors located on said vehicle andmechanically connected with the wheel or axle thereof, a second wheeledvehicle mechanically connected with the first vehicle, a series ofsecondary batteries located thereon, an electric circuit uniting themotors on one Vehicle with the batteries on the other, and suitableswitching apparatus for Varying the connection of the batteries withrespect to said circuit, as that forms the subj ect-matter of anotherapplication for United States Letters Patent filed by me April 5, 1889,Serial No. 306,114.

That I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of a wheeled vehicle having seats for passengers, one ormore electric motors located on said vehicle and mechanically-connectedwith a wheel or axle thereof, a second vehicle having two wheelsmechanically connected to and partially supported by the first vehicle,a series of cells of secondary batteries or accumulators locatedthereon, an New York and State of New York, this 11th electric circuituniting the motors 011 one veday of April, A. D. 1889. hicle with thebatteries on the other, and suitable switching apparatus for varying the5 connection of the batteries with respect to Vitnesses:

said circuit, substantially as described. DANIEL E. DELAVAN, Signed atNew York city, in the county of V. E. SOHAUMBURG.

\VILLIAM \V. GRISOOM.

